1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network devices and, more particularly, to enhancing the ability to configure a network device and maintain user-defined state information in a network device during a reboot event.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data communication networks may include various nodes, routers, switches, hubs, proxies, and other network devices coupled to and configured to pass data to one another. These devices will be referred to herein as “network devices.” Data is communicated through the data communication network by passing data packets (or data cells or segments) between the network devices by utilizing one or more communication links between the devices. A particular packet may be handled by multiple network devices and cross multiple communication links as it travels between its source and its destination over the network.
Network devices are typically configured to transport data packets from one interface to another to facilitate delivery of packets or streams of data over a network. Network devices are not configured to process the data and/or alter the data within the packet or stream of data, except as necessary to make any required transportation decisions or perform functions related to packet transportation. In addition to packet transport functions, network devices may also perform additional network services, as discussed in greater detail below.
As data networks have grown in complexity and speed, the network devices used in those networks have likewise increased in complexity and speed. These advancements generally provide the user with options so that the user may customize the network device to operate in a manner consistent with administrative rules imposed on the network. Customer defined settings and other customer input configuration information will be referred to herein as user-defined state information. When a network device is rebooted, such as to upgrade the software running on the network device to add new features or to fix bugs in existing features, the reboot event or the new software version may cause the network device to lose some or all of this user-defined state information.